Buyer Beware: Becker AutoSound LLC

[blueline]

@Tom

Thanks for that clarification and additional info Tom - it was very well put. Hopefully, your input will improve things for everyone going forward.

[RobisonService]

Yes, I can understand why you would feel that way. And I'm sure they are quicker to answer me since they have known us so long.

I also get that the photos you posted don't look rebuilt at all. But it may be that the unit in the photo worked just fine except for a repair to a switch or connector that's not shown, and the fix made it salable. I often think stuff like that is more truthfully described as repaired or rebuilt, and not restored, but "restored" is a word people like to misuse all over this old car hobby.

In this shop, we are known for doing mechanical restoration. Most people who say they have a restored car really have a painted and beautified car, one that is likely still mechanically worn out. I get it why they do that. Someone spends $150k doing paint, brightwork, and interior work on a 356. They strip the sheetmetal off the motor, wash the block, and paint the tin.

If you want a car that's truly restored and ready to take on the track and run flat out with the same expectation of performance as in 1964, you're going to spend another $150 rebuilding mechanical systems no one can even see, and few appreciate. But that is the reality of things.

I cannot begin to guess how many cars I've seen at major auction houses described as top-notch restorations, only to come into our shop and require six figures of work. 99% of the time the statment "beauty is just skin deep" applies to cars. The cost to mechanically perfect something like a 4 cam 356 is shocking, unless you've done a few and know. It makes a good paint job seem pretty cheap.

Knowing that, and how everyone calls parts restored when tested or repaired, is the right word, I just let it go. Had I gotten that antenna and it not worked, Tom would have sent me another, or fixed that one, or otherwise made it right. If I had a client who wanted a restored Hirschmann unit, and was prepared to pay $5,000 to get it, we have the facilities to create that right here. And some people have us do so. But 99% of the old car community just wants a working radio/antenna/whatever. Becker is a reliable supplier for us for that.

Sometimes a professional will have a different and more practical perspective than a hobbyist, which does not negate the other point of view, but perhaps shows how we learn to work with the actual people resources abilities and budgets we receive, and not what we might wish for in an ideal world.

[Tom]

Yes, I can understand why you would feel that way. And I'm sure they are quicker to answer me since they have known us so long.

I also get that the photos you posted don't look rebuilt at all. But it may be that the unit in the photo worked just fine except for a repair to a switch or connector that's not shown, and the fix made it salable. I often think stukk like that is more truthfully described as repaired or rebuilt, and not restored, but "restored" is a word people like to misuse all over this old car hobby.

In this shop, we are known for doing mechanical restoration. Most people who say they have a restored car really have a painted and beautified car, one that is likely still mechanically worn out. I get it why they do that. Someone spends $150k doing paint, brightwork, and interior work on a 356. They strip the sheetmetal off the motor, wash the block, and paint the tin.

If you want a car that's truly restored and ready to take on the track and run flat out with the same expectation of performance as in 1964, you're going to spend another $150 rebuilding mechanical systems no one can even see, and few appreciate. But that is the reality of things.

Knowing that, and how everyone calls parts restored when tested or repaired, is the right word, I just let it go. Had I gotten that antenna and it not worked, Tom would have sent me another, or fixed that one, or otherwise made it right. If I had a client who wanted a restored Hirschmann unit, and was prepared to pay $5,000 to get it, we have the facilities to create that right here. And some people have us do so. But 99% of the old car community just wants a working radio/antenna/whatever. Becker is a reliable supplier for us for that.

Sometimes a professional will have a different and more practical perspective than a hobbyist, which does not negate the other point of view, but perhaps shows how we learn to work with the actual people resources abilities and budgets we receive, and not what we might wish for in an ideal world.

They advertised it as "rebuilt." It simply wasn't. And it did not work. I gave them the chance to demonstrate it was a mistake, and they were curt with me and sent me a second very used unit, which also did not work. See pictures above. Very hard for me to feel good about any of that, regardless of what most people want and/or the cost of a true rebuild. None of that negates or justifies their advertising in my opinion. I just checked and over a quarter of their Yelp reviews are 1 star. Glad they are a reliable supplier to you, but please understand that is not a universal experience. Perhaps the answer is to work through one of their more valued, commercial customers, like yourself.

[Larry C]

I just finished reading all the posts in this thread. IMO, the takeaway message is to not deal with this company.